


Last Tango in the Snow

by DisMoi



Category: Last Tango In Halifax
Genre: Cure for the common cabin fever, F/F, Gillian drinking beer by the fire, Steve McQueen Cameo, What happens when Caroline's chores are finished
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-26 18:54:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30110481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DisMoi/pseuds/DisMoi
Summary: Caroline battles cabin fever.  Gillian battles her barn.  Together they cheer each other up and contemplate returning to the disco.
Relationships: Gillian Greenwood/Caroline McKenzie-Dawson
Comments: 10
Kudos: 16





	Last Tango in the Snow

Caroline was bored out of her mind. She had cabin fever from the seemingly endless winter vortex that had stalled over her corner of West Yorkshire. It wasn’t so bad when Flora was with her; they played games, read, cooked, and watched telly together. When a break in the weather finally arrived, Flora was able to go to Greg’s for what was supposed to be the weekend. But then Mother Nature dumped more snow than was predicted and they decided Flora should stay at Greg’s for a few extra days until the roads were safer.

It had been years since Caroline had a house to herself with no responsibilities pulling at her. She spent the first day organizing the pantry, and cleaning every nook and cranny of her kitchen. She spent the second day organizing bedroom closets and culling through Flora’s toybox and drawers for things she’d outgrown. By the third day, Caroline was out of the tasks she’d been putting off and was ready to have Flora back to have some activity in the house again. 

Sitting back, with a cup of tea resting before her on the long wooden dining table, she recalled how unloved the house looked when the moving truck arrived that cold December day a few years before. When she’d first viewed the house, she didn’t hate it, unlike some of the others that were total non-starters. Because time was running out for her to make her move from Harrogate, she bought it knowing it had a rustic charm she could work with.

After copious amounts of paint and TLC, it finally felt like home. In many ways it felt more like home than the one she begrudgingly left in Harrogate, perhaps because it was the first residence she’d ever bought by herself. In retrospect, the Georgian house on Conway was more of a status symbol, a place that added to her status and her image; one that gave her more gravitas with the Governors at Sulgrave Heath. No longer feeling the need to impress anyone, it was hers to do with as she wished and over time it evolved into more of a cozy safe haven than a show piece. 

Although her houses were vastly different, her loneliness was the same in both. Caroline was a different person from the widow who fled to life in the countryside, yet in many ways she was just the same; she was still haunted by the same insecurities, needs, and wants. 

The Board of Governors bowed to her every wish, trusting her judgment, grateful to have a Head Teacher of her calibre. Intent on keeping her happy, they paid her handsomely for someone in the public sector. No longer feeling the need to prove herself at work, and allowing her resume to speak for her, she just got on with it, enjoying having free reign for the first time in her career. She felt a relief that, thanks to Judith, everyone knew without question she was gay and that no one, including her new Governors, seemed blinkered by it. 

With her house and job properly sorted, having a partner who would also be a good second parent to Flora was the only missing piece to her feeling truly content; she just needed to figure out how to meet someone without signing up for any dating websites or having Gillian drag her back to the disco.

Caroline was lost in thought when her mobile rang. A smile sprinted to her face when she saw Gillian’s photo pop up, the one she took of her during their crazy drunken night out in Hebden.

“Hi Gillian,” she said, grateful for some human contact after more than 48 hours on her own. 

“Hi ya. How are things? Need anything?” Gillian talked while carrying of her tea into the living room. She’d just finished her outside chores and was ready to warm her feet by the fire.

“I think I’m good. You?” 

“I’m worried the barn roof will collapse if we get any more snow.” Gillian took sip or the quickly cooling drink in an effort to not think about the thick blanket of snow that accentuated how truly dilapidated the roof really was.

“Oh shit.” It was all Caroline could think to say as she knew the expense of the wood worm had almost done Gillian in.

“My thoughts exactly. It’s too risky to climb up there to clear it off. At least I don’t need it for the livestock.” She set her cup down and thought about going back into the kitchen for a real drink.

“Well, you wanted an excuse to take it down. If falls at least the insurance company will help with that cost.” Caroline wished the roads were clear enough for her to go see the structure for herself. “You might want to take some pictures of it now for insurance purposes.”

“Ha! Given how run down it is, it might be better to not have that evidence.” She moved to the fridge to grab a beer. “Maybe it’ll make Eddie finally move on,” she joked as she balanced the phone between her shoulder and ear so her hands were free to twist off the bottle cap. She tossed it on the counter and headed back to the fire.

“So, you’re worrying about something that may or may not happen and that may or may not be a blessing.” She lifted the teapot lid to see how much was left in it.

“Yup. Pretty much sums it up.” Gillian settled back on the settee, ready for a long natter, hoping Caroline was up for one, too. The weather had her, too, feeling lonelier than usual. “Why, what are you doing?”

“Do you think Ruth’s gay?” Caroline drained the last bit of tea from the pot into her cup.

“Oh, you’re not on about her again, are you?” Gillian started picking at the bottle’s label.

“No, no, no, it’s not,” an embarrassed Caroline stammered. “I wasn’t…”

“Thought you’d move on from her. She’s not for you if she is,” Gillian interrupted in an effort to remind Caroline she could do better.

“No. Oh God no. Not that Ruth. Ruth my dog.” She laughed with Gillian as the misunderstanding cleared.

“You have been on your own too long!” Gillian laughed at the expected response. “It’s time to get you back to the disco.”

“I’m never going back there again. No. Nope. Don’t start that again. Once was more than enough.” Ruth had stirred when she heard her name mentioned but was now settling back down on the floor at Caroline’s feet.

“So why are you wondering that about your dog?” Gillian couldn’t help chuckling to herself; she tried to be quiet about it so the often-reticent blonde didn’t realize she was enjoying whatever quiet torment Caroline was experiencing.

“She always tries to eat my knickers. She pulls them out of the hamper. She never showed interest in John’s or Lawrence’s.” With that, the floodgates opened and Gillian couldn’t hold back her laughter.

“Can you blame her? She’s probably not into skid marks. I know Steve McQueen eats rabbit poo but even he would draw the line at their mucky kits.” She looked at her bottle and noticed it was disappearing too quickly. “How often have you chased her through the house to get Victoria’s secrets back from her?”

“Did you want something or did you just call to make fun of me?” Caroline rose to dump the last of the now cold tea into the sink. As she did so, she noticed small snowflakes beginning to fall again but the wind made them appear to be moving sideways; she shivered at the sight. She put her mobile on speaker and set it on the counter so her hands were free to wrap her scarf tighter and tuck it inside her cardigan. When she finished, she considered reaching for the bottle of wine languishing on the counter, thinking she needed something stronger if she were to keep up with the suddenly happier farmer. She looked at the clock and decided it wasn’t an indecent hour to pour a drink.

“Wanted to see how you are,” Gillian responded before admitting, “the rest is just an added bonus.”

Reaching for a stemmed glass, Caroline teased, “Call me when your roof collapses and maybe, just maybe, I’ll take you back to the disco to cheer you up.” 

“Talking about cheering me up, been meaning to ask,” Gillian said while trying not to laugh. “Where can I get a red bra like the one Ruth dragged through the family brunch the other week?” Caroline could hear the smile on the brunette’s face.

“Oh ha, ha. Ruth takes advantage when Flora leaves the linen closet open.” Caroline replied flatly. “I had trouble looking Raff in the eye after he handed it to me.”

“It would have been a tripping hazard if it’d been left on the floor where Ruth had dropped it. Would you have preferred me dad or Celia had grabbed it instead?” Gillian couldn’t help herself and howled out loud. “Bloody Hell, that could have stopped Dad's heart.”

Caroline cringed at the thought. “Don’t even. If that happens then it will be all hands on deck dealing with my mother.” She took a sip of wine as she headed to the lounge.

“Speak for yourself, I’m only the low-life trailer trash step-daughter, you’re the golden child daughter. With a little luck, she’ll only want you when that time comes.”

Caroline made herself comfortable on the settee trying to shake the image from her mind. She knew they were only meant to be words of jest but they still rang true. “Wow, did this conversation take a dark turn. I can’t even think about that. You know how much I adore Alan. She’s a handful now. Imagine what she’ll be like without him to keep her in check.”

“So, back to your kit then.” Gillian could hear Caroline’s eyes rolling as she started teasing her again. “Do you think the next time we’re all at yours Ruth could trot out the red panties to match that bra? I’d like to confirm you’ve not given into wearing granny panties yet.”

Caroline laughed heartily, glad she didn’t have some wine in her mouth at that precise moment. “If you’re not careful, I’ll buy you a set and get Steve McQueen to do the same one of these days when you least expect it.” 

Ruth jumped up and settled in next to her. Caroline gave her a couple of pets as she listened to Gillian’s laugh, the sound washing away her loneliness. Gazing at the snow falling more earnestly, she felt more content than she had in years.

**Author's Note:**

> Two thank yous are in order: First, a special thank you to Vivian Dark Bloom for allowing Steve McQueen to make an appearance; and second, to Katie Dingo for being the cool cat she is and being my sounding board on this little one-off.


End file.
